Top 6 Best Ellipticals for Short and Small Persons

At the gym or in the comfort of your home, ellipticals are one of the popular equipment used as they offer a total body workout.

If you want to exercise on an elliptical machine, your height is the most crucial factor as both your arms and legs swing throughout the workout and must be in perfect sync with each other.

Figuring out the best elliptical machines for short persons is no simple affair as basically, most exercise equipment is made, keeping in mind the needs of much taller people. Hence, it would help if you learned about how to choose the right elliptical machine.

For those who want to see our top picks, here you go:

• Sole Fitness E35 Elliptical Machine—Best High-End One
• EFITMENT Magnetic Elliptical Machine Trainer—Best Compact
• Schwinn A40 Elliptical Machine—Best Seller
• ProForm 150I Elliptical—Best Budget for High Quality
• Sunny Health & Fitness SF-E3804—Best Magnetic Elliptical for Small Persons
• Exerpeutic Heavy Duty Magnetic Elliptical—Best Quiet One

See the overview, pros & cons below.

Key Points to Remember Before Choosing the Best Ellipticals Trainer for Small and Short Persons

Working out on an elliptical trainer can be fun and safe as it’s a mechanism that protects users from any damage to knees and joints and allows for variation in exercises.

Ellipticals can be used by anyone—fat or thin, tall or short. But, if you are buying an elliptical for a small and short person, there are some key features to consider before buying, while the most important is stride length.

Stride Length

Stride length is nothing but the maximum distance that’s there between the two pedals.

Most ellipticals boast of offering about 20-22 inch stride lengths, but if you are someone of short stature, this might come as a disappointment to you as larger stride lengths guarantee lesser comfort in this case.

The perfect stride length for a short person is around 18 inches. Anything above it causes strain on your legs, doesn’t seem comfortable to exercise, and might even lead to injury.

Many ellipticals do offer stride lengths between 14 and 18 inches.

Still, many of them are also cheap, thereby confirming that they are made of low-quality materials and parts that put you at risk of injury again.

Hence choosing the elliptical that satisfies stride length requirements and guaranteeing a good exercising experience fulfilling the below criteria is also necessary.

Durable and Comfortable

The short stride elliptical might come loaded with features, but there is no point in buying it if it is not going to last long.

Fancy and inexpensive prices might attract you, but please ensure to check out their quality as well. Choose those that have heavy-duty construction and smooth performance.

Buy one that has added features such as a bottle/tablet holder, cooling fans, and audio system to elevate your exercising experience.

Above all, the handlebars should offer good grip support, the pedals should function smoothly, and the cycling mechanism should not hurt your body.

Top 6 Best Home/Commercial Ellipticals Machine for Small and Short Persons

we have shortlisted the best compact ellipticals for a short person that would help you make an excellent buy providing value for money. Give below are our top 6 picks.

#1. Sole Fitness E35 Elliptical Machine

Suitable for: All users, including people who are 5′7″ tall or under

Any best equipment is designed, giving top-most priority to the user’s comfort and needs.

And the Sole E35, a brainchild of Sole Fitness, a premier manufacturing company that excels at producing different workout equipment for suiting different needs right from commercial spaces to the comfy home gym, is no different.

They are popular for their customer service and quality products, and we can expect the same from the Sole Fitness E35 Elliptical Machine.

The main advantage of this compact elliptical is its versatile adjustability options that don’t compromise on comfort.

Challenges are welcome by most fitness freaks. This equipment guarantees you plenty of them with their different inclination and resistance levels that could be altered using a simple button in your handlebar for convenience.

There are 16 different resistance levels, and the inclination could be set up to 30 degrees, and the adjustable stride length of 20-22 inches is the perfect fit for any individual of any shape, size, and height.

This adjustable stride elliptical is sturdy with a heavy aluminum flywheel, and the handlebars are designed with multiple grip positions for enhancing the ease of your workout experience.

This 375 lbs high weight capacity elliptical machine provides 10 different programs (6 pre-programmed, 2 user-defined, and 2 heart rate programs). It helps the user gauge his/her performance with the help of the information displayed on the screen, including speed, time, calories burnt, pulse, distance traveled, pace, and inclination.

This is the best machine for a beginner or intermediate trainer looking for a value buy as it has good resistance and excellent compatibility with other electronic devices.

It is sturdy and offers some great adjustability options with your pedals, console, inclination, and more.

#2. EFITMENT Magnetic Elliptical Machine Trainer

Suitable for: People under 5′9″ tall

If you are bothered about space restrictions but still would like to dedicate some space for your home gym, then the EFITMENT magnetic elliptical would be your perfect bet as it is compact and fits into the smallest rooms.

Though not a stalwart in the fitness industry as it is quite new, the EFITMENT brand has earned its reputation by manufacturing cheap, good quality, and comfortable ellipticals.

While most ellipticals cater to the needs of taller people, this is quite different standing apart from the crowd — its 11-inch stride makes it a perfect machine to work out only for those below 5′6″.

Anyone above 5′6″ and 220 pounds should never go near this machine as you are guaranteed the absence of a proper body workout.

The EFITMENT magnetic elliptical is the best affordable elliptical cross trainer in this list and comes with 8 different levels that are good enough for anyone, but accessing them is not quite easy as they must be changed using a knob (this could be reached just by lowering your hand) and not at the press of a button.

Surprisingly, there is no facility for an inclination, but this seems to be the case with most budget ellipticals.

While ellipticals boast of providing total body workouts, this equipment provides for both static and moving handlebars whose design enables any user to perform his/her workout.

The disadvantage is that only the static handlebars decode heart rate, which can be tracked with a basic LCD screen displaying time, distance, speed, calories, odometer, and heart rate.

Being a budget model, it shouldn’t be wrong to say that the equipment doesn’t have a Bluetooth connectivity option, a cooling fan, USB charger, and no preset programs are offered, no user profiles, and no speakers.

#3. Schwinn A40 Elliptical Machine

Best for: People under 5′ 10″ tall

This is yet again a piece of fitness equipment from Schwinn, a well-known brand that designs premium-quality fitness equipment for the home gym.

The A40 is an excellent entry-level elliptical and its build quality is much better than other compact elliptical machines on the same budget.

It can offer challenging workout routines, which makes it a top pick in this category.

8 different resistance levels alter your sweating streaks, 7 preset exercise programs (6 profiles and 1 quick start), and biomechanically designed linkages with a 17-inch stride for easy foot movement.

This front-drive elliptical machine supports up to 275 pounds of weight and has oversized stabilizers that offer excellent workout routines.

There is a large LCD screen that displays important details such as distance traveled, calories burned, time, speed, heart rate, and current program.

Provision for only contact heart rate (CHR) exists, and the value is directly fed to the console, but indeed the numbers are inaccurate.

Handles are ergonomically designed to support different workout positions existing due to 3 types of workout, namely fun rides, mountain, and challenges.

#4. ProForm 150I Elliptical

Suitable for: Users with a height of between  4′ 11″ to 6′ 1″

This would suit those who love building muscles as it comes equipped with an ample load of features that one could boast of.

This mid-range buy released by ICON is apt for home gym purposes as it comes with numerous features at an affordable price.

Unlike the elliptical above, this equipment takes your exercising regimen to the next level providing the user with 12 different resistance levels.

If you are bored with performing a workout program, you can choose from 12 different programs to break the monotony, promising a challenging workout.

Though the 150I can bear up to 250 pounds of weight, it has only a 17-inch stride yet again, making it a good buy for those below 6 feet.

Pedals are oversized, helping even taller individuals adapt to the equipment over time.

The ProForm 150I is sturdy and durable as it is made of rust-resistant steel frames, and the pedal bars come with heavy-duty wheels for durability.

The machine has two sets of handlebars-static and movable, both of them featuring rubberized grips for comfort.

And the ProForm 150I comes with an average console with a backlit LCD screen that displays duration, calories, speed, resistance levels, workout programs, etc.

The contact heart rate monitor helps in constantly noting the heart rate levels aiding people with health problems to ensure proper heart functioning.

There is a provision for Bluetooth connectivity, which helps you sync with your tablet/smartphone through the iFit app, which comes as a paid membership.

The equipment has a good sound system with proper volume controls and even has a tablet holder for your convenience.

#5. Magnetic Elliptical Machine Trainer by Sunny Health & Fitness SF-E3804

Best for: People under 5′ 10″ tall

Ellipticals trainers from Sunny Health & Fitness ventures promise affordable exercising to all at uncompromised quality.

Comprising of a steel frame and many integral parts made of high-quality ABS material, the entire equipment weighs less than 81 pounds (which makes it easily movable) with excellent stability.

Unlike most ellipticals, the Sunny SF-E3804 has a manual magnetic resistance system and needs no power connection or an internal motor.

All that you need are 2 batteries. The magnetic system has 8 different tension control options with higher numbers indicating greater pedaling intensity.

The equipment has an LCD with the screen denoting speed, RPM, time, distance, calories, pulse, heart rate, and more.

There are two added features — Recovery function and BMI function.

The former measures the time is taken by your heart to return to normalcy while the latter calculates body fat percentage.

The stride length is not great at 13.5 inches but has handlebars that can move front or back for varied performance output.

#6. Exerpeutic Heavy Duty Magnetic Elliptical

Best for: People under 5′ 7″ tall

Though named a ‘heavy-duty’ machine, the Exerpeutic 1000XI elliptical weighs only 76 pounds but is named so because of its high capacity compared to other ellipticals from the same manufacturer.

This machine can bear up to 300 pounds of user weight and provides a dual-action workout with 8 different resistance levels that enhance fitness performance.

It has a 13-inch stride that’s much lower; there are no workout programs provided, and the LCD screen displaying distance, calories, burned time, and speed is also not great due to its small size and absence of any backlight.

But all these assure a very low price indeed!

Nevertheless, it promises a smooth and quiet performance.

The sensors in your handlebars enable you to monitor heart rate during exercising, and the large pedals make it comfortable for pedaling.

The machine, though made of low-quality materials, comes with a 3 year warranty period.

Conclusion

Before finalizing any model, decide upon the maximum space that could be allocated for your elliptical machine and choose one that fits your bill.

An LCD denoting various numbers should also be a strong criterion as any person is motivated by the numbers displayed on the screen.

For a beginner or intermediate, quite a few resistance levels could be satisfying but choose a model that gives you high numbers if you are looking for long-term fitness and challenging performances.

Above all, try the various devices ensuring that the stride length suits your convenience before making the final call.

If you like this review, please don’t forget to share it with your friends 🙂

Read Also:

• Sole E25 VS Sole E35 – Who Is the Winner?
• Top 7 Best Ellipticals with Power Incline – Review and Buyer’s Guide
• Top 7 Best Ellipticals for Tall Persons